Brother Thomas Fund + Fellowship Program

“We all share a creative goal with art. The goal is difficult; it is an invitation to change the world.”

The Brother Thomas Fund was established at the Boston Foundation in 2007 to honor the legacy of Brother Thomas Bezanson, a Benedictine monk and world-renowned ceramic artist, who wanted the sale of his work to help other artists, as his friends had helped him.

Toward the end of his life, Brother Thomas joined forces with Sue and Bernie Pucker, owners of the Pucker Gallery on Boston’s Newbury Street, to continue his legacy.

The goal of the biennial Brother Thomas Fellowship program is to support and celebrate a diverse group of Greater Boston artists working at a high level of excellence in a range of disciplines—the visual, performing, literary, media and craft arts—and to enhance their ability to thrive and create new work. The Boston Foundation also hopes that fellowship winners will have greater access to a variety of markets, including galleries, residencies and commissions, and that the importance of artists to the vitality of Boston will be more broadly recognized.

Each Brother Thomas Fellow receives an unrestricted award of $15,000—thus fulfilling the needs of artists and the wishes of the donor.

Award Process

Brother Thomas Fellows are selected in alternate years based on an inclusive, two-step process of nomination and panel review. A diverse group of nominators from Boston’s large pool of nonprofit arts leaders, academics, gallerists, collectors and for-profit arts presenters select the initial pool of artists. The nominators focus on mid-career artists to assure that the fellowships are awarded to individuals who have made a firm commitment to their art and are working at a high level of achievement. Nominators also give extra consideration to artists who are at a catalytic moment in their life and career when a fellowship could have a transformative impact. The Fellowship program acknowledges that even established artists may struggle for the resources they need to advance their art.

The nominated artists submit work samples, a resumé and an artist statement for consideration by a multi-disciplinary panel convened at the Boston Foundation.

Contact Director of Philanthropy Operations Laura McConaghy to learn more about the Brother Thomas Fund.

All panelists complete a conflict of interest disclosure form to ensure a fair and equitable process. Should a conflict of interest arise, these individuals do not participate in this portion of the panel process.

Support the Brother Thomas Fellowship

Over time, as former Brother Thomas Fellows welcome new award winners, a larger “fellowship” of encouragement and support will emerge in the community of artists recognized for their creative excellence.

If you are interested in helping us grow the Brother Thomas Fellowship program, you may contribute directly to the fund. If you are a donor or a collector who would like to learn more about Brother Thomas’s works of art as a way of supporting the fund, please contact us at 617-338-1700.

The artists who have received fellowships to date are extraordinary. They, along with all future Fellows, will make tremendous contributions to the art world over the course of their lives, and will enrich our community in ways we can only imagine.